Go back to school?
Posted By: plwykes on 2007-08-16
In Reply to:
They came to town, advertised in the local newspaper, held a seminar in which they promised lots of work and no worries about technology taking over. I enrolled, worked my pootootie off, paid a lot of money and discovered a newfound respect for medical transcriptionists. I just finished the MT course after about a year almost 1/2 with a GPA of 91, yet I never once thought to investigate what companies were hiring and whom they wanted. I did call the local hospital and an owner of a transcription service who advised me to enroll in school. Now...I find companies want 2+ years of experience and the local hospital is not hiring at this time. I did not attend Andrews or M-TEC; however, I am wondering if I should enroll in one or the other. Any advice for someone fresh out of school looking for a job?
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Going back to school
I have been taking an at home MT course. I have lost all ambition to continue with it due to the things I have read on this site. I don't want to waste anymore of my time and money on something where I will not even be able to find a job when I am finished. It appears there are hardly any jobs out there for "newbies", and the money doesn't seem to be much. So, I have decided to go back to college and go into radiology. It will only take two years and I will make more money than doing MT work. Good Luck to all of you.
Go back to the school that trained you
and demand that they finish the job. They did not make you job-ready. Your English-language skills are too weak to make you employable in any position other than a dead-end, minimum-wage job. Bluntly speaking, if you do not improve your English communications skills, you will face disappointment in your job search.
I may have one that I bought a while back. Will check tonight and get back to you.
nm
You need to go back
I've been doing this for 22+ years, that includes in-house, on a QA level, managing, and being an MT. I have never reached 50K and do not anticipate that I ever will. I have reached that 40K mark on good years like the other post stated, but 50K is unrealistic without years of experience and great pay...which we do not get anymore. You really have to love this job, not like it, and give hours and hours to it. It consumed me for a number of years, then I realized I needed a life. Gratefully, I went back to just being an MT working at home and actually make more money then when I was a manager. If you are simply in this for the money, you will get burned out very fast. This profession can burn you out like no other. Good luck on your choices, but be realistic.
Getting back in
What would a refresher course do for you? The purpose of a course isn't to teach you a bunch of words, instruments, and drugs. It's to teach you how to transcribe--the process, the expectations, what references to use and how to use them, etc.
If you worked for 4 years, you should already know how to transcribe. The fact that you were away from it for 5 months doesn't mean you lost all that knowledge. You should still be able to get going with it.
No training course is going to update you to TODAY, because there are no training materials that close. When you trained before, you might have felt that you learned words and terms that were "current," but they were only as current as the teaching materials.
You should be able to dive right into a job. If you want some review, consider getting some of the SUM program tapes . . . maybe the ESLs. That's a good set and you'll benefit from it. They also have practice tests and other materials at reasonable cost.
If you do that, you can get your speed back up enough to feel comfortable applying for a job. After that, you should be able to work just fine.
Redpen
Andrews School
Get back what you can, and enroll with...
M-TEC, Inc. The cost is substantially less, and they offer placement assistance. Their current rate of placement is about 97%. Most companies waive the 2-year experience requirement for M-Tec grads.
So what if someone is getting a kick-back
If someone is helping others, and they want the help, why should kick-backs matter? I did not take an online course or any course for that matter, but why should it matter if someone is getting a kick-back? I think that is just a nasty way to be when we should be helping one another. Sounds like a little jealousy to me. JMO.
They responded back to me...
10 hours (600 minutes) of transcription is all they do in "training." Gees - that's absolutely nothing!
ME too, I wish they would open it back up to us, with
strict rules and if you break them, you are out, that probably is too time-consuming, oh well. Great supportive board there.
I'm the slow kid in the back.....
...and I need to get faster! My transcription is okay but my line counts are low. After transcribing, I re-listen to the entire file to make sure I got everything. My mentor says that's slowing me down too much. Can any of you established MTs share some advice on how to edit more efficiently? I know it's supposed to be something that comes with time, but is there any way to hurry the process along a bit??
Getting back in the field
I have a certificate in medical transcription with four years experience working from home; however, I have not worked in five years since quitting to be a full-time mom. Can anyone recommend a great way to back into the field or a refresher course from a reputable company? I would love to do transcription again but don't want to spend a lot of money to do it since I already completed a course a few years back. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Getting back in the field
Thank you for the advice. I do need to update my reference materials. The school I attended no longer offers the program and unfortunately the company I worked for is no longer around after my supervisor retired, so I am at somewhat of a disadvantage. Has anyone ever heard of FutureMT? They have one of the least expensive programs on the internet. I'm looking at that one and MedTrans Inc. I hate to repeat a lot of what I know, but may not have a choice at this point.
Getting back in the field
I'll look into this. Thank you!
I am going back to college
I went to school back in 06 for this. I know MT is going down. I know I cannot give my kids the kind of life I want to doing MT. I absolutely want to stay in the medical field, so I chose to go back to college for nursing. I am getting a loan for it, and at least I know that when I am done with schools and testing I CAN get a job in the hospital without a problem and be able to pay off my loan. Its just right for me and my family.
If I were you, I'd want my money back from whatever MT course you took.
If you've had any decent MT training at all, this shouldn't have been any problem for you.
I go back to test...
later this week. they called me back after the interview!!!!! woohoo!!!!
thank you for the encouraging words! :)
Got that right, mom! Can't just put the little ones on the back burner while you try and earn a
s
I'm like you, type, then go back and relisten. I used to just
read but kept falling asleep. I just turn the speed up several notches and relisten and it isn't so bad. I actually am sometimes able to get a blank with the speed up that I couldn't when I played it several times at regular speed.
Disagree. MT is dying. Get out and don't loook back.
x
I send my wav. files back and Encrypt them
x
Funny how you keep coming back and posting this - sm
Makes me think YOU are the "owner" of Proficient Transcription. Hmmmmmm...
What I want to know is why the VLC owner lives in Canada and is not allowed back in the U.S.?
nm
Sorry you didn't check it out before signing up. Can you get your money back?
It definitely is not a very good school, and you definitely will have a difficult time finding a job after finishing that course, because the people doing the hiring know that that course is not extensive enough to teach you what you need to know.
Read back thru the Word Help and Style boards, too, to see answers to ?? others have. You'll lear
s
Quick Look Drug Book great for this as it has conditions/diagnoses in back with meds
s
Agree with an outside school, but I went to a business & tech school. Great experience, better
s
You CAN get a job at home, right out of school, but it has to be a GOOD school.
You should enroll in Andrews School or M-TEC. I know you don't want to spend more money, but at least you WILL be able to get a job. If you thought At Home Professions was a good course, you will be totally amazed at what you DIDN'T learn in that course that you WILL learn at the two good schools. There is no "required" curriculum for MT, anybody can open up a school, charge what they want, and teach what they want. Companies will waive the 2-years' experience requirement for graduates of Andrews School and M-TEC, but NOT for the other schools.
You can switch Vista to XP, but then you can't switch it back to Vista is what
I understand. I've known several MTs dump Vista and they didn't have any issues.
School?
Has anyone graduated from Thomson Education Direct and got hired anywhere?
Just wondering about choosing the right school for medical transcription course.
MT school
I attend the Andrews School. It has a very good reputation among national services--some will even waive the minimum 2-year experience requirement and allow you to test for them if you are an Andrews graduate. I have heard good things about M-Tec as well. I would suggest that you contact hospitals, nationals, etc. that you might want to work for and ask them which schools they suggest as far as turning out job-ready graduates. Good luck!
$ for MT school
No, I don't. We have debt out of our ears but you can make payments or charge it or whatever it takes. I've always had to spend money to make money. I just want to make sure I can make it back fairly soon. When I do the math it seems like you have to be pretty darn fast at transcription to earn a living. I admire the people out there doing it!
School and $$$
Hey, sorry about your ankle. Sounds like this could be a perfect time to study for MT. I'm sure I saw scholarship information that was based on financial need on one of the "3" schools...Andrews, MTEC or Career Step. Go to their websites and see! All the best to you! 
What to look for in a school
There are three things to look at in choosing a school and neither of them is money.
The first is whether national services already hire their grads and keep them longer than 6 months.
The second is what percentage of the grads score adequately on the employer's test.
The third is how many students complete the course with a grade of 95% or better on the first try.
Even if an employer is willing to hire from a school, if few grads pass his test and qualify to be hired, then the school isn't so hot. If the employer hires, but the grads can't keep the job for even 6 months, then the school isn't so hot. If the school has a high drop-out rate and many students (sometimes "most") don't make it to graduation, then the school isn't so hot. If it takes students several tries to pass, then the school isn't so hot.
You can see that just examining whether an employer will hire a grad isn't such a good measure. You also have to look at how many students get to graduation, how they got there, how many of them passed the test, and how many of those didn't get fired or quit in frustration.
You want a school whose grads are almost uniformly hired by nationals and which graduates nearly all students (all have drops, but you want a low level of those) on the first try.
Considering all that, you have two options: M-Tec and Andrews. And Andrews has a pre-admission test you'll need to pass to get in.
In your case, you should not go for a school which will allow you to skip any courses. You don't know anatomy and terminology like you'll need it for MT--what you know is what you need for billing, and that is different. Unless you hold a PhD in anatomy, you need to refresh your memory. Any school that lets you get away with not doing that does not have your best interests in mind.
School
I recently graduated from Thomson Education Direct. Recently changed to Penn Foster.... I made 49.00 month payments with no interest. Is a good school!
yes, I'm still in school ..... nm
zz
Still in school????
I assumed from your post you were a recent graduate.
school
I agree.....Accept a challenge to succeed.
School
Education Direct,,,now called Penn Foster.
Great School!
School
HHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMM! I just graduated and landed a job within one week.!!!!
School
Are you stocking me? Your a stress ball!
Is school a must?
I have been an administrative assistant for 8 + years and I will be graduating from my Medical Office Specialist/Billing and Coding class in May. Do I absolutely have to go to school to become an MT or can I just test to get a job? Any responses will be greatly appreciated.
Shona`
re: Is school a must?
Yes! Have you mastered anatomy and physiology? Do you know pharmacology? Can you know medical abbreviations? Can you decipher various dialects of providers well enough to produce a medicolegal document? How about the body systems, brain functioning, neurology, endocrinology, cardiology, orthopedics, pulmonology, etc., operative techniques? Medical terminology of all the above specialities, plus more, then if your answer is yes, then test away. Transcription is a labor intensive occupation that requires medical knowledge, dedication, and accuracy.
Is school a must?
If you are really good at learning from a book and feel like you lack experience in just a few areas, then study that way. I got a little training but mostly I was self taught. I knew what I wanted and studied from books and listened to any dictations I could find. The hardest part is getting your foot in the door. I put applications in everywhere and was lucky to have a small MTSO let me show them what I was capable of though. If you have the extra money for the schooling, then go for it. I dont believe that it's a must though.
Good luck!
What school did you go to?
They should be able to help you, if the school was any good. If not, then you need more education from a better school.
school
I graduated from Career Step recently and I felt they thoroughly educated me on just about everything i needed to know. I took the online course and it took me about 9 months to finish.
School
NC Newbie -- what school did you attend? I assume you're from North Carolina, and so am I. Since I have done acute medical transcription years ago, I am in the process of trying to find a school for refresher courses. A lot of medical stays the same, but there are a lot of new procedures, drugs, etc.
Perhaps your school? (sm)
I would first check with your school for assistance. Many schools will offer some type of program to help get you pointed in the right direction.
If you went to one of the top three I know for sure that they offer assistance in this area.
Get your school to help you.
Your school knows which ones of the employers really like graduates of the school you attended. They know where they have been successful. If they have no employers clamoring to hire their graduates, you've got a problem. That means the employers have seen what their graduates can do and they don't like it.
Then you may have to work in a doctor's office. The pay isn't good, there are rarely opportunities for pay increases, but at least it's something.
I hope the first scenario describes you. Good luck with your new career!
The School you went to?
Career Step. I've heard of this school before, but like you I am still in the researching process for the best place to take the on-line course. How expensive was this course? Can you email me your answer. Thanks
My email address is: louisem@cinci.rr.com
Thanks again. Awaiting your response.
Where did you go to school?
Many comapnies will waive that 2-year requirement if you attended a school with a solid reputation of producing work-ready grads. Again, you get what you pay for.
school
I wouldn't go by one person's opinion. I am going through that program and I think it is good. It is very detailed and they teach about everything. They didn't even say what they sent the 14yr old there for anyway, maybe that particular course was bad.
|
